‘En Awwazim

Howard Smithline

26/01/2006

Final Report

During August 2003, a salvage excavation was conducted at a site located within the ‘En Awwazim nature reservation (Permit No. A-3951*; map ref. NIG 25360–75/78450–70; OIG 20360–75/28450–70) as a result of placing a high tension pole by the Electric Company. The excavation, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, was directed and photographed by H. Smithline, with the assistance of Y. Ya‘aqobi (administration), A. Hajian and T. Kornfeld (surveying and drafting), L. Porat (pottery restoration), H. Tahan (pottery drawing), N. Getzov (flint typology) and M. Sadeh (archaeozoology).

‘En Awwazim is about 2.5 km north of Tel Te’o and 2.5 km south of Qiryat Shemona. It is situated on the edge of the valley floor on the western fringe of the central HulaValley. A previous salvage excavation was undertaken on the site by Y. ‘Alon in 2002 (HA-ESI 115:2*–3*).

A single square was laid out west of the Qiryat Shemona–Rosh Pinna road. Due to the depth of the excavation and the precarious nature of the sections, only an area of 3 × 3 m was eventually excavated (Fig. 1). The upper layer (1.7–2.0 m) consisted of nearly sterile red soil that had eroded down the slope (L101). The soil contained a small number of Rashaya el-Fukhar Ware fragments that apparently were washed down from the village that existed higher up the slope through the mid twentieth century. The red soil covered a hard-packed light brown matrix (L102), which comprised two and possibly three phases of an Early Bronze IA occupation.

Phase I The corner of a well-built structure (W104, W105; Fig. 2) was found in the northwest quadrant. The walls did not bond but rather W104 abutted W105. Each wall was constructed from two parallel rows of large hammer-dressed stones with a small-stone fill (width c. 0.6 m). Only a single course of each wall was preserved (0.20–0.25 m high). It appears that the stone walls served as foundation for a brick superstructure, the remains of which comprised the very hard matrix of the excavation that was found between the stones of the walls as well.

A fragmentary wall (W107) of uncut fieldstones in the northeastern corner of the excavation square belonged to a later phase. The wall could not be accurately measured due to its close proximity to the balk. It ran parallel to W105, leaving a passage of 1.25 m between them. The ceramic finds associated with this wall were extremely perishable but all dated to the EB IA.

Abutting the southern outer face of the corner were the remains of a stone-lined and paved circular installation (L108), similar to the one found in ‘Alon’s excavation. Its position and height are compatible to its being contemporary with the structure.

Phase II
Three elements were accredited to the earliest phase: W109, W112 and a stone floor (L110).

W109 was 0.25–0.30 m below W107 and ran in a northwest–southeast direction. It was abruptly cut, apparently by the construction of W105. Wall 109 was built of two parallel rows of coarse hammer-dressed stones, smaller in size than those used for W104 and W105. A single course was preserved and it, too, appears to have served as a base for a brick superstructure. A fragmentary stone floor (L110) was associated with this wall.

A small wall segment (W112) was exposed c. 0.15–0.20 m below and bisecting the inside intersection of W104 and W105. Only a small part of its western face, built of medium-sized dressed fieldstones, was uncovered.

A number of seemingly aligned stones beneath W109 hinted at the existence of an earlier, Phase III, wall.

Both of the phases, as well as the suspected Phase III, were dated to the EB IA, with no discernible differences in the pottery repertoires. The assemblage was typical of the EB IA pottery in the Hula Valley. It is characterized by gray-burnished carinated and hemispherical bowls (Fig. 3:1–4), red-slipped bowls (Fig. 3:5), plain and thickened-rim holemouth jars (Fig. 3:6–9), flaring-rim jars (Fig. 3:10–12), bow-rim jars (Fig. 3:13–14), a pinched rim jar (Fig. 3:15) and a juglet (Fig. 3:16). Red slip was common to the repertoire. Similar assemblages are known from other Hula Valley sites, such as Tel Te’o (Strata V–IV; Tel Te’o [IAA Reports 13], pp. 118–131) and Khisas (R. Greenberg. 2002. Early Urbanizations in the Levant. London. Pp. 30–31).

The flint repertoire was outstanding in the percentage of identifiable tools among the finds. Twenty of the 45 flint artifacts were tools. Predominant in the repertoire were the sickle blades (14), of which most were Canaanean blades (10). Two blades datable to the Chalcolithic period were the only hint of a Chalcolithic presence on the site.

The animal bones found in secure loci included three animal species––sheep, cattle and domesticated pig. These findings are identical to those from the contemporaneous Stratum IV at Tel Esur (ESI 16).

Species

No. of Bones

MNI

Sheep

15

1

Cattle

17

1

Domesticated pig

5

1

The EB IA settlement at ‘En Awwazim, situated between Tel Te’o to the south and Tel Na‘ama to the north, is an additional link in the chain of Hula Valley EB IA settlements.

One important characteristic of the period was not clarified due to the limited scope of the excavation. Wall 104 and W105 formed the corner of a rectilinear structure, a type more common during EB IB, unlike the oval structures common to the EB IA. However, not enough of the structure was exposed to obtain a more complete plan. The EB IA accumulation was not excavated to its entire depth and only slight evidence of an earlier occupation was found.